Music Of The Soul
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Music can turn into both a habit and addiction. Dangerous things start happening when Atem finds himself lost in his own personal and private music. m/m prideshipping


Music in his time and music in this time seemed to be considered two wholly different concepts. It was slightly amusing in the way that he'd try and point his friends towards what they considered "old relics" of music and they'd nod politely but look all the more awkward and unenthused at having to listen to it- and he managed to do the same when their own tastes were pointed back in his direction. As such he was left mostly to his own devices as to what music he wanted to listen to and when that might be.

Things had become so easy to reach in this time, and the moment he expressed interest in portable music is the moment Kaiba expressed interest in him not having a "shitty piece of worthless tech". It had been a marketing scheme by Kaiba as well to simply build Atem a worthy music player and have him walk around Domino with it. When the King of Games had something visible in his hands, his fans would follow. Kaiba wasn't looking to rule the music market but this just came too easy. Eventually his device was upgraded in a manner that was not sold to the public. It became his own personal and special thing.

There was also something to be said about teaching Atem where and how to buy appropriate music. The term piracy had been thrown back and forth a couple of times when he'd browsed the internet and downloaded things illegally. Kaiba said having that on his prime piece of hardware was asking for trouble. So once he'd learned the proper methods, Atem had bought a few songs that had piqued his interest. Anything he liked to listen to rarely had lyrics. His song library wasn't very big. He seemed to be able to listen to a playlist that was only about thirty or so songs long without ever getting bored of it.

The issue of headphones was another thing entirely. Big bulky ones sat on his hair weird and made him uncomfortable. The little earbuds were either too big or too tiny and were also a pain to deal with. Again Kaiba seemed to want to step in, though the headphones he created for Atem were solely for Atem. They didn't go out into the market. Atem appreciated it and Kaiba was very aware of this fact, not that he cared (or not that he would show). And so Atem was once again able to immerse himself in the world of music from time to time. He hardly remembered how much he'd missed such a thing until he'd gotten it back.

Three thousand years of deafening silence and no music to really speak of through their adventures had left him with a hole he hadn't even realized. Once he was able to listen to music at any time at any place he seemed to feel a lot better. It was a comforting thing to be able to carry around songs that reminded him of home and just play them whenever he needed a boost. Surely this wasn't one of the more stupid and aggravating inventions of this time.

Walking aimlessly down the streets of Domino suddenly was more bearable. His hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes wary of the strangers around him, but all the same somehow finding his own personal space within this music that no one else could hear but himself. He'd grown attached to it more than he'd realized. It was also a dangerous thing, this sudden addiction to his own private band playing at his command. One he hadn't realized until it was too little too late, as was the case with things of this nature.

The realization came on the day that his special headphones suddenly went missing. It was a completely ridiculous notion that he misplaced them, as they were almost always plugged into his music playing device. They had no business being anywhere else, so the notion of unplugging them to put them anywhere else wasn't quickly followed. His apartment was clean, as well. Everything was always in its place- so why weren't his headphones?

It was annoying, but not something he could afford to throw a fit over at that given moment. Instead he went through one of the dusty boxes on the top shelf and found the annoyingly small earbuds that he had been stuck with months ago when this craze started. After literally jamming them to fit into his ears, he plugged them into his music player, set the playlist, and left the apartment. The search had set him back five minutes and the walk to Kaiba Corporation wasn't far, but even being a minute late drove Seto to anger sometimes. This would be one of those times, as their meeting was in the middle of the day, and not just for them. He tried to hurry as quick as he could at that point.

The loud music buzzing in his ear simultaneously helped and irked him. Once a calmer song started playing he relaxed just a little. It was enough to get him to misstep, to forget his surroundings it seemed, as he slammed into a rather bulky individual. The fall was hard enough to get his earbuds to slide from his ears and the device to clatter to the ground. It was even hard enough to render him confused for a moment as he was faced with gray sky and towering buildings instead of his destination. He shook off his daze rather quickly, looking around to see the culprit already wandering off, shaking his head, muttering derogatory statements under his breath.

A few things were apparent to him in that time. He'd fallen. His hands were scraped. He was still sitting in the middle of a busy sidewalk. He was going to be late for Kaiba's meeting. His music player was no longer within reach. Once the last thought came to him he frantically looked around for it, only to find nothing but the quick and frenzied footsteps of the Domino citizens. He suddenly worried that it had been smashed or stepped on by this point. Disappointment and dread pooled in his stomach all too quickly. Worse yet, a clap of thunder alerted him to the fact that it was about to pour. Left in that kind of weather, if not already broken, his music player would be ruined.

He stood, trying to sort through the crowd to look for it some more. He just couldn't manage to find it, though, and with a heavy and somber sigh he set his sights on Kaiba Corporation once more. He only managed to miss the oncoming storm by one second. The moment he stepped into the air conditioned tower the rain seemed to let loose from the sky in a heavy blanket. His attention was drawn back to the street, a frown worked onto his lips in the deepest fashion. It was only until a heavy hand came down on his shoulder that his attention returned, and with a start at that. He'd jumped slightly.

"You're already fifteen minutes late. Daydreaming in my lobby is inexcusable." Kaiba's cold voice intoned as he looked up at the other man.

"I-" Whatever he was going to say was cut short as he just shook his head, and stepped away from Kaiba's touch. "Sorry. Let's get on with this."

A brown eyebrow arched, but in such a public space he couldn't afford to show much curiosity to Atem's state. And where was that damn music player he'd been so attached to? ...something might have been really wrong. Really very wrong, but Kaiba didn't have the time for it. He crossed his arms with a disapproving glare. "_Hn_." And just like that he walked away. Atem followed dutifully and the meeting commenced.

In a mere two hours that felt like it had dragged on for eight, the businessmen they'd been meeting up with all left in a cheery state. Atem moved over to the windows of the conference room and looked down at the city. Honestly, he did find it a little ridiculous that he was feeling so bad over losing a music player. But it was _his_. It was made for him by Kaiba. It had his special music on it. He was so careful with all his items. He'd been careless and now it was gone and no doubt broken.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong now?" Kaiba asked as he shut the door, leaning against it.

Atem thought about not saying anything and leaving. Kaiba had put work and effort into those objects though, so only in this case was it really his business. "I lost my headphones. And on my way to get here I lost my music player." He tried not to sound as sad as he felt. He found it ridiculous so Kaiba would find it extra ridiculous no doubt.

"I'll make you a new one." Of both. What was really the problem here? Was that it? It seemed so stupid to be so depressed over something that could be fixed with a sleepless night of extra work. It wasn't like Atem to be careless with things he found precious, so Seto knew there was something more going on here. But the King of Games didn't look particularly roughed up, so it hadn't been stolen from him. Or maybe someone really had come after him for a stupid music player. Seeing as the other wasn't ever going to admit to something like that and he didn't look damaged, however, it didn't matter.

Not now, anyway. He'd check back on the street cams to see just what had happened. If it was anywhere near his building, as he suspected (and what did it matter, he had cameras installed all throughout Domino anyway), he'd find out about it. He'd find out and give someone a beat down for laying their hands on what belonged to him.

Atem finally stepped away from the window. "You don't have to." He didn't really feel like he deserved it.

"I know I don't. But if I don't you'll continue to mope and look pathetic. I can't have that." He wouldn't, either. He wouldn't admit it in words but he didn't like seeing Atem like this, for other reasons than his rival being weak. And if he could do something to fix it he would.

The shorter of the two grinned weakly. "Alright." He wasn't going to argue too much about it. This was a stupid problem that had an easy solution. Arguing about it would be a waste of his and Kaiba's time. He stepped away from the window. "I'll see you around."

Kaiba hesitated. "Take a car home."

Atem looked back towards the downpour. "I'll be fine."

"Don't be an idiot. Take a car. It's not a choice." He wasn't about to let Atem wander home in the rain and get sick, too. Sometimes the other just didn't think.

Said man rolled his eyes. "Do I have to wait long?"

Kaiba smirked. "You underestimate me." And with that he pushed the pin in his collar and alerted a car to be around the front by the time Atem left.

He couldn't help but smirk back. "Never."

"Go home." The smirk disappeared, a slightly softer gaze taking hold of him as he looked down at the other. "I'll have your items by tomorrow." Slowly, in a very tentative move, he raised his hand, brushing Atem's arm. It was an odd sense of affection but for the life of him he couldn't help it.

Atem appreciated it, as much as he'd never say. "No rush." He raised his hand to brush Kaiba's. It was a small show of affection where they could, as usual. It didn't last long, also normal, both dropping their hands at the same time. Atem stepped away from him after that and left without so much as a look back. And as Kaiba promised the car was waiting, a very dutiful Isono even standing outside for him with an umbrella.

By the time he reached his apartment and bid goodbye to Isono with an added thanks, he was feeling oddly wiped out. The steps up to his own apartment were heavy and slow and he wanted nothing more to rest then. There was a note taped to his door and a small, poorly wrapped package sitting on his welcome mat.

"_This was kicked into my store. It's a little scuffed up, but I figured I should return it. Hope it still works. Big fan by the way!_"

A hope sparked in his chest as he crouched quickly to pick up the package. It was torn open right there in the hallway and lo and behold, there was his music player. The note was right, whomever it had been from (and he was very glad it was a sane fan and not a crazed one who might have slept with the music player or tried to sell it), the device was slightly scratched up. He'd thought it a stupid idea to put his name on the back of it, but as usual, Kaiba had been right to do so. He couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he went into his apartment.

Once in, he didn't think twice before going into his bedroom to grab his phone. Calling Kaiba left him stuck with the brunet's voicemail. Oh well.

"Seto my player was returned. I don't know by who. Hope you get this before you set to work on a new one."

With that he hung up and decided to call back in an hour or so to see if Seto had indeed gotten the message. For now, he sat on his bed, turning on the player to make sure everything still worked. The startup screen seemed to glitch slightly and it looked as though the glass might have been cracked. When he placed his finger to it, it was fine and the crack seemed to solely emanate from the inside of the machine. It was worrisome but he could have Seto look for it later.

Lying back, he slid his hand up underneath his pillow as an extra guide and was startled when he felt something residing underneath. Pulling his hand out revealed them to be his special headphones. How they'd gotten there he couldn't say, and instead of challenging the idea, he simply plugged them in and put them on. The lights were turned low as he set his playlist on, closing his eyes. Maybe he'd forgotten them there when he'd fallen asleep and they'd gotten snagged and unplugged somehow.

It was the decision he'd come up with as he let his music sink into his very being, relaxing him to the core. He wasn't sure how many hours went by as he just simply listened, letting his music wash away the upset of the day. There was no reason to be upset anymore. Everything was fixed now, relatively.

It was only when he was sure his music was coming to an end that his eyes opened. There was nothing particularly interesting to look at, just the moonlight hitting the top of his ceilings and the sides of his walls. His last song ended, and instead of shutting off, a new song turned over. He'd never heard this song before and was immediately curious as to its contents.

The beginning opened with strong and almost ominous strings. His eyes lowered as he felt a shiver creep over his skin. Was this music telling a story? Once the strings had seemed to play their part, their usefulness had ended and they stopped completely. This was when a low beat started playing- he couldn't correctly identify the instrument being used, but it sounded like it could have belonged in one of those techno songs that Otogi liked to listen to so much. It wasn't as erratic though and it had a slightly old feel to it.

What was worse, it bounced from the left to right headphone. He hated music that did that. It made him feel dizzy, and this was no exception. His eyes even started to move from left to right as if he was forced to watch music that had come to life in front of him. Laid overtop the bouncing beat were more instruments he couldn't place, and more music that chilled him to his very core. The song carried with it a sense of dread. Before he could even resist listening to it further, however, he realized he couldn't move.

It was a stupid notion, but trying to raise his hands left him with an empty hollow feeling, almost like he didn't have limbs at all. The music continued and his eyes glazed over. He couldn't take it, and soon it felt like he was choking. This music was not only empty and cruel but stifling as well. As he tried to break himself out of what he too late realized was some form of trap, a shadow appeared in the room. He couldn't tell if the light from the moon was dying in front of his eyes because he was suffocating or because of a figure in the room. He tried to keep himself conscious enough to tell. He fought. He fought very hard.

The shadow seemed to loom right over top of him as he stared upwards in horror. He couldn't identify any features that would help him recognize who or what it was. All of a sudden the music hit a crescendo and blared loudly, but even as it felt like it made his ears bleed, he couldn't stop it.

"Who..." He couldn't hear himself over the music, only hoping blindly that when his lips had moved and he'd forced air from his lungs into the shape of that word that it had actually come out of him.

The shadow's hand passed over him as the music started to die down, going back to the beginning where it had started. His vision darkened even more but he still struggled. Then the shadow passed over his face as the last few notes of the music echoed and bounced from headphone to headphone and snapped down on his eyes.

Everything stopped.


End file.
